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101 Freeway reopens hours ahead of schedule
A photo of the Sixth Street Viaduct from the L.A. Mayor's Office.
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L.A. Mayor's Office
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A map showing the closure and detour plan for the 101 Freeway during the portion of the Sixth Street Viaduct's demolition on Feb. 5-7.
(
L.A. Bureau of Engineering
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All lanes of the 101 Freeway near downtown Los Angeles were reopened to traffic well ahead of schedule on Sunday morning, according to officials, ending the freeway closure dubbed the "Slow Jam."
The freeway was originally slated to be closed until 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon, but a perfect storm of favorable elements led to the southbound lanes reopening at 9:48 a.m. and the northbound lanes opening at 10:09 a.m., said Mary Nemick of the city's bureau of engineering.
"We really had a favorable weekend. The weather was good, there weren't any unforeseen construction issues, there were no equipment failures ... there was terrific cooperation from the neighbors, it really helped us out," she said to KPCC.
Part of the 101 Freeway was to be closed for 40 hours to allow for the demolition of part of the Sixth Street Viaduct, which crosses the freeway.
City Engineer Gary Lee Moore also credited the ability of the contractors and engineers to work seamlessly together.
"They developed a plan over weeks and months, they held to it and were able to implement it to perfection, in my estimation," he said.
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